Pelosi on "60 Mins": another missed opportunity

[pink-o]

...She's my congresswoman, District 8 in SF. And ironically, I mostly fault her for not being liberal enough--especially for our city. Yesterday, however, during the Lesley Stahl interview, she came across as shrill and a bit reactionary when she could have answered the questions (actually challenges) so much differently. What is it with Dems and the MSM?


Here's some of the ways I would have changed her responses:


Pelosi has called her Republican colleagues “immoral" and "corrupt,” and has said they're running a criminal enterprise.

"I mean, you're one of the reasons we have to restore civility in the first place," Stahl remarks.

"Well actually, when I called them those names, I was being gentle," Pelosi says. "There are much worse things I could've said about them."

How about saying: "Seeing as the American people have given this Republican congress a 16% approval rating, re the Abramoff scandal, the Mark Foley issue and it's subsequent coverups, I would say "Immoral" and "corrupt" is the mainstream consensus. It appears my opinions are held by the majority of Americans."


Then there's this:

Asked about gay marriage, Pelosi says, "Well, that's an issue that is not an issue that we're fighting about here."


Okay....why not say: "Gay marriage is a wedge issue, pushed forward by right winged Republicans to energise their base to vote. Until the Republicans can get beyond their exploitation and singling out of one group, I don't feel we can have a real discussion about gay marriage on the floor of the house."


I watched Pelosi get hand-picked by the Burtons (who ran California politics with iron fists in the 70s and 80s) to replace Phil Burton's position in congress, and from there she rose to the top of her game. Obviously, she's a smart politician, but COME ON!! She had a chance to address the undecideds and not compromise her progressive views, instead she blew it.

(Of course, there's always the possibility that the interview was edited to help her come across that way. I don't put anything past the MSM and their corporate Bush-backers)

[BonnieJW]

1. I thought she was fabulous.

She was straight forward, clear, firm and yet always genuine and charming.

[beaconess]

2. She can't please everyone . . .

If she had soft-pedaled, other Dems would have blasted her for being to wishy-washy, Bush-lite or DINO.

I say, keep doing what you're doing, Nancy. You're never going to make everyone happy, but given that our party is on the brink of retaking control of Congress, you must be doing something right.

[lebkuchen]

3. impeachment is off the table?

So, Bush can do whatever the hell he wants no matter who has control of Congress? He's already produced more signing statements than all presidents put together.

[Warpy]

4. Promising impeachment is premature

but we all know if that man vetoes everything that crosses his desk, shutting the government down rather than signing anything a Democratic Congress passes, or if he insists on GOP poison pill riders on routine budget bills (like ending the estate tax forever), or if he tries to invade Iran, the Congress may have no choice but to get him the hell out of office.

It's not like they'll have to take time preparing a case, either. Conyers has seen to that.

[dflprincess]

11. A good point was made on Keith's show about this.

The Repukes are already trying to demonize Pelosi. If she was screaming for impeachment now, they might add that she's being self serving. After all, if Congress were to impeach both Bush and Cheney and actually get them removed from office - who's next in line for the presidency?

[lebkuchen]

12. gotcha

Now that I think about it, the dems' top priority should be the people, the soldiers, the vets, the elderly, the sick, our children, and the safety and security of all of the above, rather than play the GOP game of ignoring our human resource at the expense of a maniacal effort to "get" the opposing party's president at all costs.

[pink-o]

5. Actually, I just read the comments

...on the 60 mins transcripts and most of them are positive. So obviously, I'm in the minority here.

I'm still annoyed with her, tho. I felt she had a good platform to present more of our issues (the ones the media never covers, then lets Repigs get away with saying we don't have any) instead she allowed Stahl to put her on the defensive too much. I know what she's about, and i wish she'd come across more like that.

But if the overall opinion is that she did great, I'm happy she got such a good response!

[applegrove]

6. I though she was fabulous too. Seemed to me Leslie Stall opened

with unfriendly questions so that she could then do admiration for the rest of the interview. Them is the times we is in. If Stall had not opened with accusatory..she could not have been as complementary the rest of the way through.

Annoys me to no end. But Pelosi responded very well to how she is being portrayed. She also pointed out that President Bush's "surrogates" insult her which makes it more than fair & more honest when she attacks his competence.

[Supersedeas]

13. only so-so, we should all expect from a Leader in the US House

[saltpoint]

7. I understand what you mean, but I wonder if a Democrat

in the reddest district of Kansas or Indiana, yearning lo these many years for a strong woman to lead the House, would have leapt up and cheered to hear Nancy Pelosi on 60 MINUTES.

I'm not dismissing your points, but I thought she resonated as a tough, smart soul who wasn't likely to take a lot of crap from the Republicans.

For me, it was a big plus for the blue team. I'm hoping the House flips blue and that the margin of victory is gigantic.

[lastknowngood]

8. She is a deer in the headlights, she isn't ready for prime time if

we can't do better then that for a "leader" of the house if we win in nov we will be exiled for another decade in 2008

[beaconess]

9. If we win in November, Nancy Pelosi will be largely responsible for it

She has been an incredibly effective minority leader. Among other things, she has managed to keep the House Dems more unified than they have been in years. She has deftly manuevered to counter Bush and the House Republicans - sometimes doing it so behind the scenes, the public had no idea she was behind the move.

There's a reason Nancy Pelosi is in the position she's in - and it's not because the Democratic caucus is stupid. Thanks to her, the House Dems have managed to go from a whiny and ineffective minority party that lost seats each election to a united, strong and effective group poised to take control of the House.

Do not sell this woman short!

[ChiciB1]

10. A Little Story For You... Take Note

I didn't watch 60 Minutes, hardly ever do, but my husband who votes because I push him into it, is a Democrat mainly because I'm such an activist and am ALWAYS relating some issue most of the time actually came out of his room and asked me about Nancy Pelosi last night.

He wanted to know who this lady was and since I wasn't watching I didn't know who he was talking about. He asked me to come see so I did. Then I proceeded to explain to him about her and how the Repukes are using her as this "secret" buzz word to keep people from voting Democratic. So he says to me, right out of the blue... She makes a lot of sense and what she's saying is correct.

Moral to this story.... She obviously made him sit up and take notice and he was impressed. This does not happen very much with him. He "does" his Sports and leaves the politikkin to me! So take it for what it's worth... he's a homegrown Southern guy from Tampa, FL!!

[lebkuchen]

14. The rethugs will try to marginalize Pelosi, like they did Cindy Sheehan

Because of that, it would make my entire year if Sheehan came up w/the Nobel Prize and Pelosi the Speakership.

[hijinx87]

15. okay, this is a side issue for sure

but I found this funny.

"Gay marriage is a wedge issue, pushed forward by right winged Republicans . . . "

I hope it was intentional. much more descriptive that "right wing republicans" . . .